INITIAL IDEAS

1. Draw an initial model that explains where you think we are right now in space and time.

2. Complete a self-evaluation of your initial ideas.

PART 1 DEVELOPING IDEAS

1. Share what comes up for you as we go for a 1,000-foot walk outside, learn a little about what we understand about the early universe, the formation of solar systems, the creation of elements, and what gravity is. Then, explain some of the many ways the earth has changed since its formation as you explore this interactive database of our planet’s history and this 10-minute overview of major geological events.

2. In your own words, explain where we are right now as you try to imagine our cosmic address, the earth as a grain of sand, and how you compare to the size of other things. Then, share any new thoughts, feelings, or questions you have as you check out a photo taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft and check out some words shared by Carl Sagan, one of the mission managers.

3. Share some big ideas that have come up so far, work together to develop a shared list of ideas that could be important for explaining the incredible story we were born into and take 1.01 Quiz 1. Watch the history of the world in one hour. 

4. Share why you think the interior of Earth is so warm as you learn about the the Kola superdeep borehole. Then, share what you think as you take a look at the insides of nearby rocky planets and learn about why Earth is so geologically active in comparison.

5. Share what you think as you check out what we think is happening inside our planet and why we think this.

6. Work together to develop a shared list of ideas that could be important for explaining where we are right now in space and time and evaluate your contributions in Part 1 Developing Ideas 1.01.

PART 2 DEVELOPING IDEAS

1. What happens in places where convection currents pull two plates apart you re-examine this cross-section of Earth, search for patterns in the ages of ocean crust, and scuba dive and walk through one of these locations.

2. Share what you think the surface of our planet looked like in the past as you examine the location of one diverging plate boundary. Then, share some ways you think we can figure out what happened in the distant past as you learn about the discovery of continental drift.

3. Share some big ideas that have come up so far, work together to develop a shared list of ideas that could be important for explaining the incredible story we were born into, and take 1.01 Quiz 2.

4. Share what comes up for you as you take a look at some rocks around our campus and a 100-million-year-old fossil Brandon found in Longmont. Then, share what you think as you listen to Brandon talk about sedimentary rocks and learn a little about how to become a fossil, how to look for a fossil, and what the fossil record can and cannot tell us about Earth’s distant past.

5. Try to explain how there could be ancient sea shells in our town using this interactive map of Earth to visualize the history of the land we call Longmont. Also, you should check out some dinosaurs that lived on this land.

6. Work together to develop a shared list of ideas that could be important for explaining where we are right now in space and time and evaluate your contributions in Part 2 Developing Ideas 1.01.

ENDURING IDEAS

Use our checklist of big ideas and this enduring ideas document to address the following question: How are there 100 million-year-old fossils of extinct ocean creatures in Longmont?